


despite everything

by snapdragonsmeadow



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Emotions, Gen, Narrator Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Platonic Relationships, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 05:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19761148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapdragonsmeadow/pseuds/snapdragonsmeadow
Summary: Frisk helps Chara become corporeal.Or, tries at least.





	despite everything

**Author's Note:**

> don’t know how in-character this is, but I tried.  
> I don’t write... pretty much all of these characters. really just the dreemurrs.

“I mean, if we can find a way to focus the determination of your soul onto a vessel—“ Alphys rambled on, but Frisk was lost mid-conversation. The scientific words and sentences made their head spin, the words seemingly going right through them.

It had only been a few days, even though it felt like so much longer, that Frisk had convinced Chara to let them consult Alphys on them, to see if she could do something sort of like the amalgamates for them. They had been.., reluctant to agree.

“I can’t see it being easy to explain, Frisk.” They argued, their tone as nonchalant as they could make it. The seeming lack of emotion didn’t mean Frisk didn’t know it was there.

“But we can definitely try, right? Alphys is smart, and I’m sure she could work something out. And… if it doesn’t work out, we could reset.”

Chara sighed, deeply, and though they didn’t say anything Frisk had an idea of what they were thinking.

“I know how you feel about resets. But it might not even come to that, right?”

“...do you want me out of your head that badly?” They asked quietly, “I can stop narrating your life, if you want me too. I know it must get tiring—“

“No, no, that’s not it.” Frisk interrupted, “I’m glad I have you around, Chara. I just… Sometimes I’d like to have you around in person, you know? It’s kinda hard to keep a secret like this, and… We live with Toriel, but she doesn’t even know…”

“But, if we did… How would I explain what we… what I did…?” Their voice grew quieter, a subtle sadness hidden heavily within.

“You don’t have to.”

“It’d be wrong not to, though, right? They deserve the truth.”

“I’ll help you.” Frisk offered, “and, well, if it works, maybe I could actually hug you, or have a conversation out loud without weirding people out.”

“Yes,” Chara replied, “I see now. If… If you really want this, Frisk, you can talk about it with Alphys. It’s your choice.”

“Well, I mean, it’s your choice, too. It’s our choice.”

“And if we can find a way to give the magic form—“ Alphys’ continuous rambling pulled Frisk away from their thoughts, drawing their attention towards her. Out of breath, she turned her head towards them, “So, um, I-is this a secret?”

“Yeah,” Frisk breathed out, dizzy from the array of words, “At least from Toriel, and Asgore. Um, why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking that Papyrus would have some interesting theories! On this!” Alphys suggested, “And, y-you know, maybe Sans, if he’s up for it.”

“Papyrus is a scientist?” Frisk blurted out, “Oh, is that why he was trying to solve the horoscope?”

“W-what? Well, I, um, don’t know about that last one.” Alphys said, “A-and no, he’s not r-really a scientist, per say. To my, uh, knowledge he s-sort of dabbles in it, but! He and Sans a-aren’t really active in it.”

“Sans too?” Frisk questioned, “...Huh, maybe that clears some things up. Doesn’t he spend most of his time sleeping and making bad jokes?”

“Yeah. B-but, sometimes he’ll feel up for it, you know? A lot of times he just, um, doesn’t? W-which, I get.” Alphys replied, “Papyrus and I used to have some scientific discussions every once in awhile, actually! It was k-kinda nice having someone to talk about my theories with. M-mettaton will listen, but he’s… not really into science.”

“Of course not, darling. Art is more my style.” Interrupted a voice with a certain charm to it. Frisk and Alphys turned around, recognizing it immediately. Mettaton, in his EX form was leaning against the doorway.

“Mettaton!” Alphys’ voice wavered with surprise. “I d-didn’t know you were coming o-over. Weren’t, you, u-um… On tour…?”

“We’re on break, darling, so I came to drop in on you.” Mettaton said, “How have you been, Alphys? A new project, I’m guessing.”

“Y-yeah. Um, Frisk wanted my help with… Um, a… science project? F-for school.” Alphys lied quickly, her anxious voice completely giving it away, “So. Um. They asked me for help. Yeah.”

“My, my, what a peculiar science project.” Mettaton replied, raising an eyebrow.

“U-um, out of curiosity, how long were you... S-standing there?”

“About ten minutes, darling.” Mettaton answered, cheerfully. He leaned back against the wall.

Frisk sighed, and turned their head to look at Alphys, “You can tell him.”

“Okay. S-So, well. Frisk wanted help with a… Y-you probably already know, don’t you?” Alphys asked, her expression looking… slight defeated.

“No. I caught bits and pieces, darling, but I think context is a bit important.” He gave her a small smile.

“Ah,” She said, “W-well, Frisk wanted help with, u-um… T-there’s an… They have a friend who is, um, I-incorporeal.”

“Yeah,” Frisk added, “And I wanted Alphys to help me make them corporeal, somehow? Their, uh, name is Chara.”

“Ah, you mean the floating child beside you, right?” Mettaton replied, nodding in understanding.

“Wait, can you… see them?” Frisk asked, “I can’t even see them… I just, um, hear them, mostly.”

“You can see me and you didn’t say anything?” Chara asked, possibly going up closer to Mettaton.

“Of course not, darling, wouldn’t that be strange?” Mettaton smiled, “If I talked to every floating person I see?”

“So you can… You can see like, ghosts?” Frisk asked, curious.

“Something like that.” Mettaton winked, mysteriously.

“S-So, um, Mettaton.” Alphys said, changing the topic, “H-how, um, how long are you on break?”

“Two weeks. Blooky’s really needed a vacation, you know, darling? Time for them to recuperate.” Mettaton answered politely, and with a wink, “Not everyone can really keep up with me when it comes to the spotlight. It’s a little overwhelming for them.”

“W-well, um, if you’re gonna be around for awhile… M-maybe you could help us with this project? S-since, we can’t, um… See them, and y-you can…?”

“Alright, darling,” Mettaton agreed, “I was curious to when you’d both come up with this.”

“So, you expected this?” Frisk asked.

“Of course, you seem be good friends with them, darling. I expected you’d want to make them corporeal sooner or later. It only took a month.”

Frisk  _ had  _ been considering this since they had all been freed, about a month ago. They just hadn’t talked about it with Chara until a few days ago.

Frisk smiled, “Well, um, thanks for helping, Mettaton.”

“Of course, anytime, darling.” Mettaton smiled, and scooped them up due to their portable size, “Just call me when you start, although, I’m guessing Alphys is going to want to consult a friend, right? As long as it’s not Undyne, of course.”

“Why not Undyne?” Frisk asked.

“You don’t want her near technology, darling, you do remember when she’s blown up some of Alphys’ equipment already, right?”

“Right.” Frisk nodded. Mettaton was a lot calmer when he wasn’t on TV, they noticed, when he wasn’t purposefully exaggerating his personality for his audience. They preferred to be around him like this, they thought, when he wasn’t so overwhelming and loud. 

“H-hey, in her defence… S-she hasn’t even blown anything else up, in awhile…” Alphys mentioned, “A-actually, she’s been very helpful to have around when I’m working…”

“Maybe she should invite her to work on this project, too.” Chara joking suggested, “Don’t you think that’d be great, Frisk?”

“Yeah, Chara, maybe we should invite Undyne.” Frisk said out loud, making it so Alphys could understand the context, “But wouldn’t it get kinda crowded?”

“N-no worries!” Alphys replied, “There’s plenty of room. A-and you know, Sans might not even come…”

Frisk nodded in understanding, “So, we’ll meet up soon?”

“Yeah.”

  
  
  
  


Frisk sat on the bar stool, legs dangling far from the floor. The new Grillbys was a bit different, still quite greasy and small with the same warm hues and the distinct scent of a fast food place, but this time it seemed a little cleaner, perhaps, and a bit more crowded.

“hey, kid, did you want some ketchup with that?” Sans said, with a wink. Frisk picked at their fries tiredly.

“No thanks,” Frisk replied politely, remembering the last time they agreed to that, “But I did want to talk to you about something.”

“cool. what’s up?” Sans took a gulp of ketchup, and Frisk scrunched up their face in betrayal.

Frisk decided to cut to the chase, and summed it up as quickly as possible, “Alphys is helping me with a science project. She said she wanted your help, too, so, um…” 

“science project, huh? you know, kid, that sounds real productive. what’s it for?”

“School.” Frisk said, blankly, “So, will you help?”

“gee, kid, i don’t know, i got like, a ton of work to do…” Sans mentioned, “but if you insist…”

“You don’t have to.” Frisk replied.

“..i GUESS i could stand to procrastinate a little bit. alright, kid.” Sans agreed, “can’t believe i let you talk me into this.”

Frisk sighed, “Yeah, me neither. Thanks, Sans.”

They spun around and carefully slipped off the stool, feet dropping on the ground. They grabbed their backpack from the counter, “I gotta go. I still gotta talk to Papyrus, you know?”

“wow, alphys, me AND my bro? must be a rough science project. what are they making you do in school nowadays? space travel?” He joked, casually, “anyway, see ya, kid.”

“Bye, Sans.” Frisk waved, and quickly turned around and ran out the door, their search for Papyrus beginning immediately.

Not that it was going to be hard— really, they could just ask him over the phone if he wanted, as unlike Sans he actually picked up consistently. But it seemed better to discuss it in person.

They opened their phone and pressed the call button, the device feeling so familiar in their hands as it vibrated with the soft, echoing rings.

“AH, FRISK! WERE YOU IN NEED OF A RIDE HOME? I’M SURE MY BROTHER WASN’T ANY HELP.” Papyrus’ enthusiastic voice came out of the phone, and they smiled.

“Yeah, something like that, I guess. I’m outside grillbys now… We just finished, so…”

“I SEE. THEN I’LL BE THERE IN A MOMENT!!! BECAUSE I’M RESPONSIBLE!! MY RESPONSIBILITY MUST ASTOUND YOU!! I’LL SEE YOU IN A MOMENT, HUMAN!”

“Okay.” Frisk sighed, and waited for Papyrus and listened to the soft dripping sound of the rain and watched the small splashes it made in the puddles, while they waited.

Papyrus was quick to arrived, though his car looked a little… strange. He had only taken a few moment, and waved at them cheerfully, “HI, FRISK!!”

“Papyrus!” Frisk smiled, walking up to his car slightly confused and climbing in the front seat, “So, um…”

“There appears to be an umbrella duct-taped to the center console…” Chara narrated, “Looks like a traffic violation.”

“What’s with the umbrella?” Frisk asked, trying not to smile at Chara’s narration.

“OH, THIS? THE CAR NEEDED AN WEATHER-APPROPRIATE APPROVEMENT. SINCE THERE’S NO ROOF, I INSTALLED AN UMBRELLA SO YOU WOULDN’T GET SOAKED. IT’S PRACTICAL!!!” Papyrus answered cheerfully, his usual smile present as it always was.

“Oh.” Frisk said, “Isn’t there a roof button? That adds a roof?”

“YES. BUT WHAT’S THE POINT OF SUCH A COOL CAR IF YOU PUT A ROOF ON IT? YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE COOL THINGS!!!”

“Huh, I guess so.” Frisk smiled politely, “So, um, Papyrus… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“YOU DID? WOWIE… A CONVERSATION… FOR CONVERSING IN!!” Papyrus grinned, “WHAT WAS IT YOU NEEDED, FRISK?”

“So, um, Alphys is helping me with a… science project, for school. Um, she wanted you and Sans’ help with it, too.” Frisk explained, “I already talked to Sans, so..”

“YOU GOT MY LAZY BROTHER TO DO SOMETHING? WOW!!! YOUR SKILLS MUST BE GREAT.”

“Guess so.” Frisk smiled, “So, um, will you help? I mean, I didn’t know you did science before Alphys mentioned it, but—“

“OF COURSE!!! THAT’S THE PURPOSE OF FRIENDSHIP, RIGHT??” Papyrus said, the volume in his voice steadily increasing.

“So, you actually do science…?” Frisk asked hesitantly.

“IT’S A HOBBY. THAT’S WHY I FOLLOW DR. ALPHYS ONLINE!!! FOR SCIENCE!”

Frisk nodded in understanding, “Thank you, Papyrus.”

“YOU ARE WELCOME, FRISK.” 

The car came to a stop, and Frisk climbed out. They waved goodbye as he drove off again, and quietly turned around and went inside.

  
  


Frisk closes the door behind them a little harshly, taking a moment to relax in the warm lighting of their home, the faint scent of cinnamon floating on the air.

“Frisk?” Toriel asked, from the other room, “Back already, my child?”

They smiled, and sighed before walking into the room. Toriel was reading, as she often did. Smiling gently, she put the book down, “Welcome back.”

“Thanks…” They mumbled, taking a seat.

“So, how was it with Sans?” Toriel asked, softly, “Was it fun?”

“Yeah,” Frisk breathed out, somehow feeling so tired, “We got to talk a lot, so…”

Toriel smiled, but her expression quickly changed to concern, “Are you alright, my child?”

“Mhmm.” Frisk nodded, “Just tired.”

“Perhaps you should get some rest, then, my child.” Her smile returned, soft as it always was, “If you want, I can wake you up when dinner is ready.”

“Yeah, thanks…” Frisk agreed, “Might be good…”

Tiredly, they walked to their room and flopped on the bed with a sigh, curling up into a ball. They blinked, and looked at the other side of their room. Soon, maybe, it’d have another bed.

Maybe soon, it wouldn’t seem so empty. (Even if it was, they thought, remembering Chara’s side of their old room.)

“So, Frisk, how do you feel about it now?” Chara interrupted, casually, “You know, now that it’s sort of happening, maybe.”

“About the same.” They mumbled, “It’s gonna be pretty cool, right? Maybe… Maybe we’ll even be able to convince Flowey to come, if it works.”

“...Yeah, maybe.” Chara’s voice was a bit shaky, “But… We still don’t know if they’ll be able to do it, right?”

“Yeah.” Frisk said, “Let’s think about that tomorrow, I’m tired.”

“Shouldn’t you text Alphys first?”

“Fine…” They mumbled, grabbing their phone and typing a quick message to Alphys so they could go back to sleep.

“...How are we going to explain this to Toriel if it works…?”

“...we’ll figure it out.”

“Frisk, maybe we should start planning.” Chara suggested, “Toriel and Asgore, they’re gonna need an explanation.”

“Science!” Frisk replied, sleepily, “...now come on, I’m sleepy.”

“Okay.” Chara sighed.

  
  
  


They headed over the next day, as discussed previously with Alphys, for some planning with the majority of their friendship.

Frisk was quickly greeted by Undyne, who was sitting on Alphys’ desk, “Heya, punk!”

“Undyne!” Frisk greeted enthusiastically, as they hadn’t seen her for about a week. She had been busy a lot lately, with adjusting to the surface and such. 

Undyne was quick to pick them up, tossing them in the air hazardously and catching them just as swiftly, placing them gently on the ground. (Probably remembering Toriel.)

“Ready for some nerdy crap?” Undyne asked, fiercely.

Frisk shrugged, and walking over towards Alphys who was talking to Papyrus, the words they were saying made them dizzier, somehow. 

“FRISK!” Papyrus greeted, noticing them, “WE WERE DISCUSSING YOUR GHOST ASSIGNMENT.”

“Assignment?” Frisk questioned, dizzy and confused.

“YES, FROM SCHOOL. THE BRILLIANT DR ALPHYS HAS SOME AMAZING THEORIES!!!” Papyrus complimented, and Alphys blushed, embarrassed.

“W-we think we might even be able to start today, I-if you want.” Alphys said, “We, um. We’d just start with the basics, but.”

“Okay.” Frisk agreed, “So, what do we do first?”

“Well, f-first! We need to do some readings o-on your soul, and see if we can do one on Chara, too. This will, um, give us a b-better idea on how to go about it…” Alphys explained.

Frisk nodded in understanding, “Let’s do that, then.”

“O-okay, you just need to sit there…” Alphys gestured, “And we’ll get started, okay?”

Frisk sat where Alphys told them too, and she and Papyrus started working on the tests. They mostly had to hold still, and at one point show them their soul so they could get a better reading.

Minutes passed in what was mostly silence, Alphys and Papyrus both concentrated but with the occasional question to Undyne for help, mostly if they needed her to get something.

“Okay! Now, um, C-Chara.” Alphys said, “So, um. Mettaton?”

Mettaton walked over, and Frisk wasn’t even sure where he came from. He was still in his EX form, like last time. 

“Frisk, you can get off now.” Alphys mentioned, “U-um, so we need Chara sitting on that, too, and then we need to know where.”

“They’re already there, darling.” Mettaton replied, “They’ve been there since Frisk has.”

“R-really?” Her expression showed her surprise, “U-um, so where, exactly?”

Mettaton walked closer to the edge, and place his hand on top of thin air, “This is their head, darling.”

“Yep, sure is.” Chara said, and they sounded kind of bored.

“Alright.” Alphys smiled, “So, we’ll start testing now, then.”

  
  


The tests went on for awhile, and Alphys and Papyrus wanted to analyze some of the data quickly before getting anymore, so Frisk went outside for a moment.

“Something wrong, darling?” Mettaton asked, and his voice made them jump, surprised.

Frisk shook their head quickly, “Why?”

“Just making conversation, darling.” Mettaton said gently, “So, how are you feeling, darling?”

“Um, why do you ask?”

“Well, you must be excited, right?” Mettaton replied, and then glanced at Chara,“What about you, darling?”

Chara didn’t say anything, so Mettaton turned back to Frisk.

“I mean, yeah, I’m excited.” Frisk said, “I guess, anyway. It’s just… a long process.”

“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?”

“And, well, we have to keep it secret from Toriel, and Asgore…” Frisk mentioned, softly, “If they knew… and it didn’t work, it’d just…”

Mettaton nodded in understanding, and Frisk sighed.

“But it’s gonna be great having Chara around. It’s just too bad there’s not more I can do.” Frisk explained.

Mettaton smiled gently, “Darling, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’ve managed to get Alphys, and Papyrus for this, right?”

“And Sans.”

“Him, too.” Mettaton continued, “And your connection with Chara— this wouldn’t be possible without it, right?”

“Yeah…?” Frisk agreed.

“Point is, you’re already doing plenty, darling.” Mettaton said, “But I know it may not seem like enough, sometimes. You’ll remember that though, won’t you, darling?”

“Okay.” Frisk smiled, “Yeah, I guess… I’ll try to focus on what I’m currently doing, instead of what I could be. It just seems like it’s gonna take such a long time…”

“It might not be as long as you think.”

“Thanks, Mettaton…” Frisk mumbled.

“Anytime, darling.” Mettaton glanced at Chara again, presumably, “Perhaps you’d like to talk, now?”

“I…” Chara sighed, “Does anyone  _ really  _ want that?”

“Of course, darling. Now, why don’t you tell us how you feel about this? What’s on your mind?”

“Fine…” They mumbled, “I, just… I don’t want to keep secrets, anymore… But I don’t really want to tell the truth. All my… mistakes… What I did…”

Mettaton nodded sympathetically, “Sometimes, the truth can be difficult, can’t it?”

“Yeah, and I… I’m just not sure how to explain it to them, without…”

“Hurting them?” Mettaton supplied, “I think I understand, darling… But, sometimes secrets can be heavy to carry.”

“This isn’t just a secret.” Chara said, “It’s… a bit more than that.”

“But would  _ you _ be able to keep it forever?”

“I’d have to.” Chara replied, “If I don’t…”

“Darling, I don’t think you’d be okay with keeping it forever.” Mettaton sighed, “I know how secrets can be. And the truth… well, I imagine it must not be easy to tell.”

“I don’t expect it would be. I just… don’t know what to do, really…”

“H… How about this, darling? What if you weren’t alone in telling a secret?” He lowered his head, though his expression showed so many emotions.

“What do you mean?” They questioned.

”I have… a secret, too.” Mettaton admitted, “If I told mine, maybe it’d make you feel better about telling yours?”

“...Would you do that?” Chara asked quietly, “That wouldn’t be… convenient for you.”

“Perhaps not, darling, but this isn’t about me.” Mettaton said, “I don’t pretend I’ve been the most… considerate of others, in the past. I’ve made my own tough decisions as well. But if this would make you feel better, darling, then of course I will.”

“...thank you.” 

  
  
  
  


About a week had passed since their conversation with Mettaton and the previous tests, Alphys and Papyrus were mostly analyzing the data, now. Occasionally, apparently Sans would drop in.

Frisk hadn’t really heard anything back yet, with made them a bit anxious. Sometimes they’d just check their phone, eagerly, to see if any of them had said anything.

Mettaton’s break from touring had been mysteriously extended, and all he said was they needed more time to recuperate, with a wink towards Frisk. (And, presumably, Chara.)

They paced around their room aimlessly, waiting for  _ something _ . Alphys hadn’t really said anything to them for days, and it was making them concerned.

Finally, they got tired of pacing and decided to just message her.

_ Hey alphys,  _ They texted,  _ Hows the progress? _

About a minute passed before they got a reply.

_ omg frisk!! im so sorry I forgot to tell you! we think we know how but we need to build something first! u can come watch if you want.  _

_ okay, _ they texted back,  _ I’ll be over in a minute _

Frisk walked out of their room, anxiously, and let out a harsh breath before going to ask Toriel to drive them.

  
  


When they got there, it was still only Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus and Mettaton. They didn’t see Sans anywhere, like usual.

And strangely, Mettaton was helping them build the piece of equipment, attaching various pieces in various places, reading a manual.

Sometimes, he and Papyrus would reach for the same part and end up with their hand on the others. Mettaton would wink, and Papyrus would partially malfunction.

Undyne seemed to be handing Alphys things, and she’d let her hand linger on hers for a moment. And then she’d take her hand and hold it for a few seconds before immediately smooching her, followed by calling her a nerd.

Frisk walked over, sitting on the floor as they watched them work. Mettaton waved, and Papyrus greeted them enthusiastically.

“HELLO, FRISK.” His smile was as wide as it usually was, “WE THINK WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR HOMEWORK.”

“Yeah… My assignment.” Frisk said, “Did you guys need anything?”

“N-not really, Frisk. Y-you’re kinda too young to be working with this stuff.” Alphys replied, “You might get electrocuted.”

“I NEED SOMETHING.” 

“What did you need?” Undyne questioned.

“I WANTED TO KNOW IF FRISK’S GHOST FRIEND KNEW ABOUT THEIR GHOST CRIMES.”

“Ooh, I FORGOT about that!” Undyne laughed.

“Yeah, they know. They were an accomplice.” 

“WOWIE! YOU’RE BOTH REALLY WEIRD.” Papyrus narrowed his eyes, “IT’S GOOD THAT YOU HAVE EACH OTHER.”

“Yep.” Frisk replied, “Guess so.”

Mettaton and Alphys didn’t pretend to understand what they were talking about, focusing on their work instead. Papyrus went back to work as well, installing some gadget. 

Mettaton leaned closer to him, winking. Papyrus didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey, Papyrus, how big of an explosion do you think this could make?” Undyne asked, jokingly.

“PLEASE DON’T EXPLODE OUR DEVICE.” Papyrus sweated.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t gonna actually blow it up.” 

“But where’s the fun in that, darling?” Mettaton joked. 

“WE DON’T GET BLOWN UP.” Papyrus suggests.

“Then where will we get all the action, the drama, the romance?” He asked, and winked at Papyrus again with a blush, “Hmm, I guess we’ll have to find it somewhere else, darling.”

“Excellent…” Chara nodded, watching them, “Look at them, all flirting with each other…”

_ Kinda awkward,  _ Frisk thought.

“Probably.”

“So, u-um, Frisk,” Alphys said, working on part of it while Undyne handed her various things, sometimes just as an excuse to touch her hand, “We were, um, thinking. We have an idea, b-but, it um… Kinda involves Toriel and Asgore?”

“Why?” They sighed.

“W-well, they’re boss monsters, right? If we use their magic and channel it with t-the power of your soul and your determination, w-we might be able to use it to give them a form. Made, uh, of magic. L-like us.”

“Like a monster…? That’s so cool!” Chara said, “But if we’d have to… tell them early…”

“Is this, um… The only plan you guys have.”

“pretty much.” Sans answered, appearing suddenly.

“SANS, WHERE WERE YOU?” Papyrus asked, “YOU’RE ALWAYS LATE!!”

“i was like, super busy.”

“WITH WHAT?”

“slacking off.” 

“SANS!!!!”

“Anyway,” Alphys interrupted, “We have, um, o-other ideas, but this is the one we t-think… will work best.”

Frisk sighed, “What do you think, Chara?”

“I… What do  _ you  _ think, Frisk?”

“Maybe we should try it out. They’d want to know, anyway, right…?”

“Then tell them, I guess…” Chara said, “We’d have to eventually, anyway.”

Frisk nodded in understanding, “Alphys, could you talk to Asgore…?”

“Y-yeah. Why, um, why don’t you wanna do it?”

“I’ll take Toriel. She doesn’t, um… She’s not gonna wanna work with… She might listen to me, better, anyway.” Frisk explained.

“W-well, in the mean time, we have a lot of work to do.” Alphys said, “Papyrus, did you finish wiring that stuff on the edge, yet?”

“YES.” Papyrus narrowed his eyes, “ACTUALLY, I FINISHED IT AWHILE AGO. I’VE JUST BEEN WORKING ON THE OTHER ONE.”

Mettaton glanced at his work, “Impressive, darling.”

“(WOWIE!! METTATON GAVE ME A GENUINE COMPLIMENT. MY ONE WEAKNESS!!! OH NO.)” 

Mettaton winked, and Alphys sighed as she went back to work, “You can head home now if you want, Frisk. This might take awhile.”

“That’s okay.” Frisk replied, “But I see your point.”

  
  
  


About a week passed before Frisk stopped by again, and by then they were getting close to finishing it. 

“Papyrus’ done most of it. I think he was trying to s-show off or something.” Alphys said, “B-but, we might even have it done by tomorrow!”

“That’s… soon.” Frisk replied. They swallowed; they had yet to tell Toriel about it. They didn’t know why, but they seemed to be subconscious avoiding it. Although they guessed probably because it wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

They let out a sharp breath, feeling suddenly like they didn’t have any words to say.

“S-something wrong?” Alphys asked.

Frisk shook their head, “I should, um, go. Prepare.”

“Okay.” Alphys agreed, “Did you talk to—“

They left swiftly, not wanting to answer that question. They ran outside with a sigh, walking slowly down the sidewalk.

“We have to tell her eventually.”

“I know, Chara.” Frisk mumbled, “I just don’t really feel like it.”

They couldn’t explain it better than that, logically they knew they had to talk to Toriel but every time they saw her they either forgot or couldn’t find the words to put a sentence together, even if they had previously thought it out they seemed to forget.

“Neither do I, but…”

“hey kid.”

Frisk turned around, facing Sans who had decided to sneak up behind them. They sighed, “Hey.”

“wanna come to grillbys? catch up?”

“Sure,” They breathed out, “That might be fun.”

“okay.” Sans proceeded to teleport them there within a second, and Frisk didn’t feel up to questioning it. They climbed up on the stool, absentmindedly staring at the counter.

“so,” Sans started a conversation, “still procrastinating telling tori?”

Frisk looked up, staring blankly at Sans, “Telling her?”

“you know, about your ghost crimes?”

“I’m not procrastinating anything.” Frisk said, “I just haven’t done it yet. Don’t really feel like it…”

“you know, i’m not one to judge… but that’s procrastination.”

“You’re definitely one to judge. Wasn’t that the point of your speech back in the underground? You judge all the time.”

“guess you got me there.” He winked, “anyway, you should probably stop that procrastination. you’ve been a bad influence on me.”

“Oh?”

“i’ve been getting WAY less work done. you should really work on being a better influence, kid. i might just not get anything done.” 

“I think you’ll manage.” Frisk joked, “Fine, I’ll tell her later today. But I want fries.”

“coming right up.” Sans winked.

The fries, indeed, did come pretty quick. Frisk sighed, picking at them.

“are you ever gonna actually eat those?” Sans questioned, “people might start thinking you’re a total weirdo. they wouldn’t be wrong but i wouldn’t think you’d want them to know.”

“Least I don’t slack off from like 15 jobs.”

“just the one?”

“Something like that.” Frisk sighed, eating a single fry, “You know, it’s just… hard to find the words to phrase something like that. There’s gonna be so many emotions… it’s hard to deal with.”

“i see. maybe a joke will help.”

“Like?”

“knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Frisk sighed.

“Chara.”

“...Chara who?”

“frisk’s ghost friend. associate of idiot babies.” Sans said, jokingly, “also known to partake in ghost crimes. or is it just regular crimes for them? anyway.”

“No, I do the crimes. They just narrate the crimes.” Frisk replied, breath still lost somewhere in their throat.

“right. and that’s somehow less weird.”

“Yep.” Frisk agreed, and sighed, “You know, it’s just weird to try and have a heartfelt conversation with you.”

“how come? i’m great at emotions. why do you think i have so many friends?”

“You’re a good distraction from emotions, I guess.”

  
  
  


Frisk entered their house hesitantly, closing the door quietly behind them. They really didn’t feel up for it, but they knew they had to.

Toriel was reading again, which she often was when they came home. She gazed at them softly when she noticed them standing there, “Did you need something, my child?”

“Um, mom…?”

“Yes, Frisk?” She said warmly, smiling gently.

“Remember when I, uh, fell… And, um, I was attacked by that flower?”

“Yes, I do. Why do you bring this up, my child? Has it returned? Did it attack you?” She questioned quickly with concern.

“No, um. After that, I guess… I sort of developed a strange… connection. To someone. I, um, hear them… They helped me through the underground.” Frisk explained.

“Oh? Are they your friend? What’s their name?”

“Yeah, they’re my friend. And, um… Their name… their name is, um… Chara.” They mumbled, and Toriel looked confused.

“And, um, Alphys is helping me make them a corporeal form. But she needs your magic. And, um, Asgore’s.”

Toriel immediately scrunched up her face at the mention of Asgore, but then softened it at Frisk, “Why didn’t you mention this before, my child?”

“Well, um. It’s kind of awkward to explain. And Chara… Your Chara… They weren’t sure about it either…”

“M… My Chara? That’s impossible, my child.” She forced a smiled, though her eyes glistened.

“Their, um, determination kind of gave us a connection.” Frisk mentioned, “I… I know it sounds weird.”

“Are you sure, my child?” She asked softly, “It’s really Chara? It’s been such a long time…”

“Yeah,” They breathed, “Um, I know you don’t want to work with Asgore, but—“

Toriel scooped Frisk up into a hug, squeezing her eyes shut, “Frisk, if it’s for my child... I will tolerate him.”

“...are you okay, mom?” Frisk asked quietly, and Toriel hugged them tighter.

“Of course. I am just… Emotional, that’s all. Perhaps hopeful.” Toriel said, running her hand on the back of their head, “That I might see my child again.”

“and I might have a sibling…” Frisk mumbled into her fur, rubbing their face against it. It was so soft… They just wanted to hide their face in it.

“You already do.” Chara replied, softly.

Frisk smiled a small smile, feeling so… warm.

  
  
  
  


Toriel and Asgore stood in the crowded room, for once not even focused on each other. Frisk was sitting, boredly, where Alphys had told them too.

They watched as both of their parents channeled their magic in the way Alphys told them too, and as Alphys and Papyrus messed around with their determination.

_ Do you think it’s gonna work? _ , Frisk thought.

“I guess we’ll find out.” Chara replied, their voice as emotionless as they usually kept it. Frisk nodded slightly, leaning back and waiting, watching them work.

They didn’t know, really, if it would, and suddenly felt so much more anxious about it than they previously had.

“It’s exciting, right…?” Chara asked, softly, “...But it might be hard to adjust to, huh?”

_ Yeah _ , They thought back,  _ It’s gonna be interesting, right? _

“Yeah.” Chara agreed, and sighed, “I don’t know what to say.”

_ Neither do I,  _ Frisk thought,  _ It’s strange, you know, how soon it is… _

Frisk leaned back, thinking about when they first met Chara. Or at least trying to, something to distract them. 

“...yeah.” Chara said, “And… We’re gonna have to… Maybe we shouldn’t think about that right now.”

It seemed like hours had passed by the time it was finally ready. Frisk hopped down, staring intensely to where Chara would, ideally, appear.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Toriel asked, glancing at Alphys.

“W-well, not entirely. But! We h-have a pretty good estimation?”

Frisk wanted patiently. The magic started to form something, moving into a shape about the same size as them. It was hard to look away…

It got brighter, and they started to lose track of what was even happening— the light emitting from the magic filled the room up entirely for a moment, and they had to close their eyes. 

When it faded, there was a child lying there instead, seemingly sleeping. Frisk moved closer with concern, and they were sure they heard Toriel and Asgore do the same.

“Are they okay?” Asgore asked, immediately. He looked to Alphys for answers.

Alphys checked the screen, analyzing the readings, “Y-yeah, just sleeping.”

He sighed in relief, and Toriel held their hand softly. Frisk stared blankly at Chara— their sibling. It was the first time they had really seen them. 

Their sweater was a lot like Asriel’s, though a little different. They did resemble them, they noticed. 

“great, it worked.” Sans said, suddenly. They didn’t know where he came from, but they usually didn’t, “that’s good.”

Papyrus narrowed his eyes, “SANS, WHERE WERE YOU?”

“Y-yeah, you haven’t actually been much help.”

“being productive. you’re welcome.”

“You didn’t even do anything.” Undyne pointed out, “You just popped in and made a bad joke while we did all the work! And then you left???

“you’re welcome.”

Alphys placed a hand on their shoulder, and they turned to face her, “T-They’ll be okay, Frisk.”

“I know.” They breathed out, smiling, warmth filling their chest.

“Y-you should be able to take them home, now, if you want.” Alphys said, smiling at Toriel with uncertainty in her voice.

Toriel nodded, smiling softly at her child. Frisk noticed her eyes were glistening, and they weren’t at all surprised. 

Asgore brushed their bangs with his fingers, gently, and whispered almost inaudibly, his voice shaking with various emotions, “You stayed determined…”

  
  
  
  


About an hour later, they had gotten Chara home. They didn’t have their own bed yet, so they put them in Frisk’s. 

Toriel was staring uncomfortably at Asgore, who leaned down to talk with Frisk.

“Howdy, Frisk.” He said, softly.

“Dad.” Frisk smiled.

“How have you been?” He made small talk, and Frisk shrugged as a response.

“I’m excited to spend time with my sibling. Can we get them a bed, today?” Frisk cut to the chase, “And, uh, maybe some chocolate.”

Asgore nodded, “Why don’t you go ask your mother about that? I’m… not certain if she’d be comfortable with me helping you with that.”

Frisk nodded, and looked at Toriel from behind him, “Mom, did you want to go with me and Asgore to get Chara a bed?”

Toriel gave Asgore a dirty look, but smiled gently at Frisk, “Of course, my child. But does  _ he _ have to come?”

“Yep. He can help me pick something out for Chara.”

Toriel sighed, and begrudging, “Alright, my child.”

  
  


They went to a store that happened to be run by the shopkeeper from Snowdin, who seemed to have opened one up on the surface. 

Frisk walked through the store, and Asgore looked at vases and various flowers and plants he knew Chara liked, and even some packets of seeds and gardening equipment.

Toriel handled books, picking out several she thought they would like. Frisk supposed they might have read together at some point. 

It  _ was  _ weird without Chara, they noticed. Frisk drummed their fingers across the shelves as they walked, stopping when they noticed something.

It seemed to be a pair of bracelets. Both of them had a single charm hanging off of them, a half of a heart. Frisk touched it softly, the cold metal against their skin… It reminded them of something.

_ It says, “Best friends forever.” _

Frisk gently picked it off the rack, slowly walking back to Toriel — who was already at the checkout and must have been for several minutes, talking to the bunny who owned the store, and laughing.

Asgore had the bed covered, though it seemed he had already left the store. Frisk tugged on Toriel’s sleeve, smiling.

  
  


When Chara did wake up, about a day later, they were greeted to a strange sight. They were in a bed, and when they rolled over they saw Frisk across the room, sitting on their bed with their feet hanging off.

“Chara?”

“Greetings…” They said weakly, sitting up. There was a chocolate bar on the nightstand beside them, alongside a vase of golden flowers — their favourite. 

Frisk smiled, and sprang from the bed swiftly, “You’re awake!” 

“Yeah. So… It worked?” They asked, their expression blank. Frisk nodded eagerly, and tackled them into a hug.

“You’re corporeal… Toriel’s making pie, by the way. It’s not chocolate, but there’s plenty of that.” Frisk said quickly, as if trying to fill them in a matter of seconds, “And there’s books, and there’s seeds… And I got you this.”

They slipped the bracelet onto their hand, and held up their own, “We… match now.”

Chara smiled at it, weakly, “It’s… fitting.”

“Chara?” Asked a familiar voice, and they both turned around to look at the window. There was a familiar flower there.

“As… Flowey.” They greeted.

“It’s really you.” He said, “Papyrus told me…”

“...Will you come back, too?”

Flowey shook his head, “I can’t. But… I’ll visit, more… Chara, I’m so sorry.”

They looked confused, and he elaborated, “It’s my fault that we—“

Chara shook their head, rapidly, “No, it’s not.”

“But…”

“Nope… why don’t you come inside for a minute…?”

Frisk decided to leave them alone and let them talk. Perhaps a private conversation would be good, as they had a lot to work out.

  
  
  


Chara stayed in their bed for awhile, procrastinating talking to their family about… things. Frisk kept them entertained, though, even when they didn’t have much to say. 

“We gotta talk to them.” Frisk reminded them, “You know, we should just do it now so we don’t have to, later.”

“I know…” Chara sighed, “But, it’s… Not that easy.”

All of their mistakes seemed so… prominent, at the moment. They kept imagining how they were going to tell them, all the words they could use and they practiced it in their head, but they couldn’t seem to put them into reality.

“You talked to Flowey, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s... different.” They said, staring at their feet which they had up on the wall while they lied on the bed, their new bed, “He already knew, and… He’s my best friend…”

Frisk nodded, “And your brother.”

“Yeah. And, just… Everytime I think about doing it, I just end up putting it off. I feel like sans… Maybe I should make a pun, crack a joke.”

“You do that already.” Frisk replied, “Just generally. You made several puns when we were in the underground.”

“Yep. I should go back to doing that.” Chara said, cheerfully, “I goat to tell them the truth.”

They sighed, “Not my best material, but you should give me a break. I’m very confused and out of it.”

“Okay.” Frisk smiled, “Maybe you should tell them you Chara about them.”

“Thank you for that, Frisk.” 

“Maybe that it’s time you finally got a bit TO-RIEL with them?” 

“Maybe its time you Frisk on out of here.” Chara counters, throwing a pillow at them jokingly. They catch it perfectly, and Chara raises an eyebrow.

“Is this a challenge?” Frisk asked, a small smile apparent on their face, “Because I can and will win this pillow fight.”

“You seem awfully sure about that. It would be a shame if you lost.” Chara replied, grabbing their other pillow.

It was needless to say some time was wasted.

  
  


Chara sighed, pacing back and forth. They took a deep breath, glancing at Frisk, “Are you ready…?”

Frisk nodded, “I guess so.”

Chara sighed, once again, “Perhaps we should talk to Asgore first. He… might understand, better.”

They nodded again, “Okay, Chara.”

Frisk didn’t have a lot of words to say, either. They didn’t know how they were going to go about it, just that they had to. They typed a quick message to Mettaton.

_ We’re on our way to tell dad the secret _

Mettaton replied quickly, too,  _ Alright, darling. I’ll tell mine today, too, then. _

Frisk read the message out loud to Chara while they walked.

“Can you tell him I said thank you?” Chara asked, “And also, perhaps you should inquire about him and Papyrus.”

“Did you want to play matchmaker again? Because if you did, I saw mom flirting with that bunny lady, the one that owns the shop?” Frisk said, casually.

“Really?” Chara asked, eagerly, “You did not tell me about this. That’s great for her.”

Frisk nodded, smiling. They both knew that even though it was unfortunate she and Asgore weren’t together anymore, it was good for them both to move on.

They arrived at Asgore’s only a moment later, and exchanged a look.

“You ready?”

“Yes,” They breathed out, smiling slightly.

They knocked on the door.

  
  


Asgore answered after a few moments, humming lightly. He grinned at the sight of them, “Chara, Frisk!”

“Greetings.” Chara said, “Can we come in?”

f“Of course. Would you like a cup of tea?”

They both nodded; that’d be appropriate for this conversation, wouldn’t it?

Asgore’s house was a bit dull, the lighting a bit cold on the grey hues and floral patterns, giving it a sort of misty feel to it. It was covered in plants and flowers, golden flowers everywhere.

Chara reached their hand out to touch one, rubbing their fingers over the petal. A small smile appear on their face, as they looked at the flower with a simple admiration and awe.

There were framed photographs of Chara on the wall. They looked new.

Chara and Frisk both took a seat, and Asgore poured them both a drink, quietly saying to himself, “I still can’t believe it…”

“It is unusual, isn’t it?” Chara hung their head, gazing into the swirling liquid… The way it moved, and it smelled… The ways they could use it to procrastinate, the heat it was emitting…

“I’m glad to see the two of you.” Asgore said, “Are you feeling okay, Chara?”

They nodded silently, and took a sip.

“Yeah, they’re doing pretty okay now, I think.” Frisk added, noticing their sibling’s silence. They leaned their elbow on their shoulder, “We actually had something to talk to you about, though?”

“Oh? Well, feel free to talk any time you’d like.” He replied, gently. His smile was warm and welcoming, though it was clear how much he had gone through personally as it looked a bit pained, as well.

Mettaton was probably telling his secret about now, wasn’t he…? And he was counting on them.

Chara stayed silent for a few moments, until Frisk gently poked their arm. They took a deep breath, “...you know when I… ‘fell’?”

Asgore nodded, “Yes…?”

“...it… wasn’t really an accident.” They admitted, their voice like a whisper.

“What do you mean, my child?” He asked, softly.

Chara hesitated, and exhaled, “Asriel and I, we… made a plan to… to free everyone. If he absorbed my… Well, you know.”

“What are you saying, my child?” He asked, his voice a tad weaker than before and his expression that of concern.

“The flowers.” Frisk blurted out for them, “They ate them.”

“Frisk!” Chara exclaimed, “Don’t put it like that.”

They lowered their head and avoided looking either of them in the eyes, their body feeling so much heavier. Frisk noticed his fur was damp.

He seemed to be searching for the right words, 

“Chara,” He started, his voice a bit shakier but just as welcoming as it always was, “W… Why would you two try something like that by yourselves?”

“future of humans and monsters…” They mumbled, inaudibly, “We… we had to do something.”

Asgore placed his hand on the side of their face, and waited for a moment before he spoke, “I’m so sorry, my child.”

Chara looked up, “What?”

“We shouldn’t have put that on you. Even when…” He closed his eyes, “Even when you were in such a state… That responsibility wouldn’t have been good for anybody. It is a heavy load, and for someone so young…”

“I could handle it.” They mumbled, slightly offended.

“You shouldn’t have to handle that, Chara.” Asgore smiled weakly, “But I know we can’t change the past, now can we?”

Chara faltered, “...you aren’t mad?”

“Why would I be, my child?”

“I’m… I’m the reason why Asriel… And you and mom… With what I did…” They hung their head, and Asgore stroked their hair.

“No, you’re not. It’s not your fault for your brother… I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my time, Chara. While… I don’t think you should’ve gone through with it… I’m more saddened by it.” He said quietly, “And, concerned for what this must have done to your wellbeing.”

Chara didn’t seem to know what to do, nodding weakly. Asgore embraced them gently, and they hid themself in his fur, body shaking subtly.

Frisk watched a little awkwardly, with a small smile.

  
  


When they walked out of Asgore’s house, they both felt a bit lighter. Maybe just a little bit. Chara let out a sharp breath.

“So, I guess we’ve… officially told him, huh?”

“Yeah,” Chara realized, and it seemed so strange that it wasn’t vice versa, “We have.”

They walked silently, and Frisk grabbed their hand. Their bracelets hung next to each other, each half a heart. It made them think of how they shared a soul. They were co-owners now.

“So… We’re, like… officially siblings now, right?” Frisk asked softly, hesitance clear in their voice.

Chara nodded, eyes glistening with determination and growth, “We always were, though, weren’t we…?”

“Yeah,” Frisk smiled, “But no one really knew, right?”

The orange and gold hues of the sunset reflected on the surface of everything, illuminating their skin with the warm tones. It reminded them of when everyone had first seen the surface, and how far they had all come since then.

“Right.” Chara agreed, smiling genuinely.

_ Despite everything, it’s still just you. _

But it wasn’t, not anymore.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Alternate names for this fic:
> 
> a variety of heartfelt moments placed excessively throughout a 7000+ word fic  
> Frisk procrastinates And So does their incorporeal meme sibling  
> Whoops I forgot how to write (everything)  
> Mimmy gets gradually lazier with every word  
> Can We Do Reunited But Like, Again?  
> The ‘Mimmy doesn’t know how to write flirting and probably everyone knows at this point’ fic  
> Tip-toeing around past choices for 7000+ words straight  
> The children have issues (the therapist is shocked)
> 
> and a variety of other things...
> 
> I had some fun writing Mettaton, though. That was fun. I was gonna make this longer, but... I’m too tired for that. And I mean, come on, it’s almost 8000 words and... that’s so many more words than I usually write.


End file.
